Title: Does gender matter? Female representation on the corporate boards: the case study of New Zealand

Authors: Rizwan Tahir

Addresses: Business and Management Department, Rochester Institute of Technology, P.O. Box 341055, Dubai Silicon Oasis, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Abstract: This paper investigates the issue of gender diversity on corporate boards in New Zealand companies. Despite the increased interest in diversity on corporate boards, most previous studies have focused on women's representation in the management positions within companies, rather than women's representation at the corporate board level. This benchmark study contributes to the literature on corporate governance by analysing the presence of women on corporate boards in New Zealand. The research results indicate that women are severely underrepresented. The situation becomes more dangerous when we observe that only 35% of New Zealand corporate boards have only one female director, 11% have two women directors and only 1% have three or more directors. The figures depicting female board members as a proportion of total board member spotlight the need for New Zealand government and companies to develop effective strategies to increase the representation of women on corporate boards.

Keywords: corporate governance; corporate boards; New Zealand; gender diversity.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMD.2016.083583

International Journal of Management Development, 2016 Vol.1 No.4, pp.307 - 320

Received: 06 May 2016
Accepted: 09 Oct 2016

Published online: 11 Apr 2017 *

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